This invention relates to an apparatus which is associated with a card, a roller card unit, a cleaner or a similar textile fiber processing machine and which serves for evening the fiber lap fed to the fiber processing machine. Upstream of the fiber processing machine, a fiber tuft feeding device such as a feed chute is arranged which discharges a fiber lap, subsequently advanced by a feed roller to a fiber processing roller (such as a licker-in for a card or an opening roller for a cleaner). A counterelement, such as a feed table or a counterroller cooperates with the feed roller to advance the fiber lap therebetween. Either the feed roller or the counterelement is supported stationarily, while in each instance the respective other component executes excursions to thus vary the gap between the feed roller and the counterelement.
It is known to provide for the fiber lap a transfer element such as a transfer tray between the discharge end of the feed chute and the feed roller. The fiber lap discharged downwardly from the feed chute is deflected by the transfer element from a vertical direction to an approximately horizontal orientation. This change in direction alters the inner structure of the fiber lap. Further, deflecting, guiding and compressing elements are also present which adversely affect the uniformity of the fiber lap.